Heat the oil in the frying pan on a medium high heat. Mix eggplant, onion, garlic, matzo meal, corn starch, egg, paprika, salt and pepper in a bowl and let stand for 10-15 minutes while the oil gets hot (test by placing a small portion of the batter in the oil - it should sizzle). Scoop 1/2 cup of the batter, shape into patties, and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until it is golden brown. Drain on paper towel lined plates. Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce.

Yeild: about 9 latke.

*Matzo meal is made from ground matzo, a flat, unleavened bread. You could substitute bread or cracker crumbs.

My thoughts:

Last night was the 4th day of Hanukkah and to celebrate, we made these latkes. It is traditional to make fried foods at Hanukkah to commemorate the miracle of the oil: basically, oil was needed to light the menorah at the temple, there was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days. Latkes are generally made with potato and are sometimes referred to as potato pancakes but this year we wanted to try something slightly nontraditional. I loved them, good flavor, easy to make.